Dover thanks business owners after sign sweep

Thursday

Feb 7, 2013 at 3:15 AM

DOVER — The Dover Department of Planning and Community Development thanks owners of businesses in the city for compliance with its sign ordinance.

This recognition follows the first illegal sign sweep of 2013. The sweep occurred between Monday, Jan. 28, and Monday, Feb. 4. A total of 15 illegal and unpermitted signs, including those on utility poles or in the rights of way, were confiscated during the sweep.

The illegal sign removal action was warranted because the placement of these temporary signs in public right-of-ways and medians of streets, on utility poles and attached to trees is not permitted by the Dover zoning ordinance and may cause a safety hazard for traveling motorists or create a visual blight that is unsightly for residents. These signs detract from legitimate business signs that have gone through the proper permitting process.

“I am very pleased with our results,” said Christopher Parker, director of Planning and Community Development. “We collected 15 signs, compared to the 80 we collected three years ago when we first started conducting the sweeps.” With the low number of signs collected Parker feels that the education and outreach campaign the city has undertaken has been a success.

Furthermore, Assistant City Planner Tim Corwin, who along with Parker conducted the sweep, explains that none of the signs collected were from local Dover based businesses. The signs collected advertised plowing, stump grinding, firewood and other services provided by businesses outside the community.

“We have seen a very positive response from the public about the sweeps, and it has reassured us that we need to keep our efforts up,” Corwin said.

Business owners that have placed these signs were advised to remove the illegal signs in advance of the cleanup effort. Any sign confiscated will be held for 30 days prior to being recycled or destroyed, unless the sign is claimed by the owner after paying a reclamation fee based on the actual cost of man-hours and equipment use. Repeat offenders may be subject to prosecution and fines.

This marks the start of the fourth year the Planning Department has conducted the sweeps. Staff has been monitoring illegal signage and holds the sweeps every few months. At the same time, efforts have been made to reach out to businesses to explain regulations and the safety concerns associated with the placement of signs within rights of way.

For more information, contact the Planning Department at 603-516-6008.